Treatment Modalities for Hemophilia Type A

Abstract

Hemophilia Type A is a genetic disorder caused by inheriting an X chromosome from the parents. It causes an individual to produce an ineffective factorVIII, diminishing the blood's clotting ability. Patients with Hemophilia Type A experience uncontrollable bleeding episodes, unexplained bruising, joint pain,or, in more extreme cases, bleeding in the brain. When patients present with a family history of Hemophilia, physicians will order testing to determine if thedisorder is a possible etiology of abnormal bleeding episodes. Testing is essential because symptomology alone is not enough to diagnose Hemophilia A. Other bleeding disorders, such as different types of Hemophilia or Von Willebrand, present similarly in patients. Even with no reported family history, Hemophilia A should be considered as a potential diagnosis for spontaneous bleeding episodes because specific individuals acquire the disorder. Physicians need to ruleout all potential causes of symptoms, regardless of their commonality, to ensure the patient receives proper and timely treatment. Therefore, Doctors shouldorder a PTT, a PT, and a clotting factor test to determine the patient's clotting ability and, if abnormal, identify a clotting factor deficiency. After determining a patient has Hemophilia Type A, a treatment plan may consist of replacing clotting factors through medications and injections, as well as managing symptoms at home. Again, without proper testing and diagnosis, prolonged absence of treatment can lead to the patient developing potentially life-threatening problemsor complications that could significantly decrease their quality of life. While the current treatments are effective at preventing clotting episodes in some, more research is needed to determine a more effective solution to increase the patient's quality of life.